Johnathan Siblings-Uss (left) and other members of Team Tibet speak at a Counter-Olympics rally at Union Square Park on August 10, 2008. The group was deported from China on August 9 for displaying the Tibetan national flag in front of the Olympics stadium during the opening ceremony. SHAOSHAO CHEN/THE EPOCH TIMES

NEW YORK, August 10 — Protestors braved heavy rain at Union Square on Sunday to hold a “Counter-Olympics.”

Dozens of protestors gathered decrying China’s continuing and escalating human rights violations. The protest was part of a series of protests by Tibetan activists in New York City since the opening of the Beijing Olympics.

Joining the demonstration were members of Team Tibet, a sporting organization advocating the participation of exiled Tibetans in the Olympic Games.

An hour before the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, three members of the group unfurled the Tibetan flag in front of the Beijing National Stadium, also known as the Birds Nest. They were tackled to the ground and detained by security officials.

“When I was down on the ground, I remembered the Tibetan people all over the world,” said Jonathan Stribling-Uss, one of the deported Team Tibet members, told supporters at the Union Square rally.

The three members were deported from China on August 9.

“We proudly displayed the Tibetan flag in Beijing yesterday to shine a spotlight on the Chinese government's lethal military crackdown inside Tibet and its attempt to use the Beijing Olympics to cover up its human rights abuses there,” said Kalaya’an Mendoza a New York City resident and one of the three protestors.

“As long as people of conscience actively support Tibetans in their struggle for freedom and human rights, pressure on China to resolve the issue will continue to grow.”

After months of protests leading up to the Beijing Olympics, human rights activists have continued their efforts in calling for the end of China’s human rights atrocities.

Tibetan groups have planned ongoing protests throughout the duration of the Games, while other groups have been holding similar protests throughout the world.

Most of the protestors have been from the activist group Students for a Free Tibet (STF). Since the start of the games, at least half-dozen members of STF have held demonstrations in Beijing.